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Dao of Healing - Chapter 59
<< Chapter 58| Index| Chapter 60>>My heart dropped. The patriarch!? Gao Shan was already enough of a headache, but if the patriarch of the Gao Clan came to Three River City then all hope was lost.Perhaps Wang Ren and I could overturn the natural order of the world to defeat Gao Shan. Even now I hadn’t lost my will. However, the patriarch of the Gao Clan was sure to be an existence I could barely comprehend.Forget squashing me like an ant, he could sneeze and blow away a city if he was as strong as I suspected. Nonetheless, I would take each p...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 124
<< Chapter 123| Table of Contents| Chapter 125>>2.30 - An Empire EmbarrassedAll it takes is a single flap of a butterfly’s wings to change the course of destiny. The tiniest actions can have catastrophic consequences-Excerpt from ‘Silversea Saga’ by Norris HowellRose held her breath as she yanked the tidestone rod out of the etched plate of metal which controlled the tidestone engine of the metal ship. She’d studied the flow of arcane energy for a long time and was almost certain this was the right rod to remove in order to shut down th...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 58
<< Chapter 57| Index| Chapter 59>>I stood beside Gao Deng Luo, the former councillor. His elder cousin lounged on the throne, watching us with disinterest.I dared not move, in case the powerful cultivator decided to act and end my life. He seemed content to allow Gao Deng Luo to play his games for now, but it was in my best interests to try and sow discord between the two.When the white worm had entered my dantian, I had prepared myself for the worst. For my soul to be ripped from my control as I was forced into submission and left at the mercy...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 123
<< Chapter 122| Table of Contents| Chapter 124>>2.29 - A Useful OccupationOftentimes we make choices that we initially regret, but find that in our hour of need they were exactly what we needed all along-Quoted from Kalamir IcefingerRose took a deep breath in the underbelly of the flagship. Metal walls surrounded her on all sides, with even the hull of the ship beneath her made of the same metal.She felt the arcane energy flowing through the metal in regular pulses. A bright blue glow lit the entire room, thrown out by the source of the arcane ...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 57
<< Chapter 56| Index| Chapter 58>>Wang Ren’s brow glistened with sweat as his glave swam through the air like a carp attempting to leap the waterfall. Every single one of his steps was precise, his body moving with the grace of a crane.The tip of his glaive reached towards the sun and a ray of the dawn light reflected across his body, casting him in a golden glow. He sighed in satisfaction and lowered the shaft of his heavy glaive to the ground of Elder Bang’s courtyard.“Very good, disciple,” Elder Bang exclaimed with a sharp clap of hi...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 56
<< Chapter 55| Index| Chapter 57>>“I believe you came here to see the city lord?” the strange Gao Clan member asked me, turning on his heels and walking out of the encirclement of shadowy cultivators.“I was curious why he had failed to deliver justice to his treasonous councillor, but I can see now it was an impossible task. With the weight of his clan behind him, what is one mere City Lord?” I replied with a sigh.“Well, you could ask him yourself. Here he comes,” the man said, pointing at the doors of the throne room.Councillor Gao...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 55
<< Chapter 54| Index| Chapter 56>>It was not a necessity to cultivate in order to practice alchemy, but in order to achieve true mastery one needed both. To one side of the room, the golden robed youth was sprawled against a broken table.It hadn’t been me who delivered the blow, but the elder now facing me. Upon finishing my cup of tea I realised it contained poison. Not just any poison, but the very same Mortal grade iceflower poison that was being spread through Three River City under my name.Of course it was not harmful to me. In fact it w...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 122
<< Chapter 121| Table of Contents| Chapter 123>>2.28 - Bitter VictoriesThere are moments in life when we claim a great victory or achieve a goal we’ve long aimed for, yet find ourselves feeling hollow in the aftermath. The only solution is to pick yourself up and take another step forwards-Quoted from Castell SaltbeardRose coughed, waving the thick smoke away from her face. Her lungs burned from inhaling the smoke. It was crackling with arcane energy, but it felt burnt and used.Rather than refreshing her it made her circuits burn. She suspect...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 54
<< Chapter 53| Index| Chapter 55>>I stormed up the stairs of Yu Chun’s Blossom Parlour, startling a nearby couple who were engaging in the activities of the night. I barely spared them a glance as the girl shrieked and the man hurried to cover his rather… insignificant privates.Then again, I wasn’t here to judge people for how they spent their time. Or money, in this instance. I was here to see Du Wen, the young Miss Yu’s old friend who had fallen sick after taking one of my healing pills.I was sure that something else had caused his si...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 121
<< Chapter 120| Table of Contents| Chapter 122>>2.27 - Death from AboveEven when at sea, it is important to keep a watchful eye in all directions. You never know where danger might strike from. The cautious sailor returns home, while the ignorant fool slumbers in the ocean’s depths-Excerpt from ‘Silversea Saga’ by Norris HowellCommodore Pellan stood on the poop deck of his flagship Eleanor’s Revenge while staring in disbelief at the little ship which had taken flight to evade the second blast of the new cannons. The Emerlan Isle was sup...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 53
<< Chapter 52| Index| Chapter 54>>Gao Deng Luo, the former councillor of Three River City, lounged on the throne while City Lord Teng stood subserviently at his side. He sneered as he looked down at the empty throne room.The doors groaned as someone pushed them from the other side and his eyes went wide. He leapt to his feet and rushed to the bottom of the stone stairs. After brushing off his robes he stood still and waited.To his great relief, it wasn’t his elder cousin who entered the throne room. Gao Shan terrified him to the core and he...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 120
<< Chapter 119| Table of Contents| Chapter 121>>2.26 - Elmer Saff, Arcane ShipwrightAn era is never more contentious than when technology shifts. New inventions always bring chaos to the battlefield, with those who adapt quickest to the changing tides emerging as the victors.-Excerpt from ‘The Power of Artifice’ by Xlat GoldbackRose had never witnessed anything like it. Not in terms of the raw power of course. Accompanying Trent, Nasar, and Yasmin had allowed her to witness unforgettable feats of might and magic.However, the weapon that the...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 52
<< Chapter 51| Index| Chapter 53>>I extracted the pill from my stomach, the most efficient cauldron I could have hoped to acquire. As I did, I noticed that my heart had continued to refine itself during the alchemy practice.Over the course of a few weeks it had only improved by a few percent. Considering that was purely through the excess energy produced during my experiments that was exceptional.I heartily anticipated the new effect that would come with refining a third organ. Turning my focus to the pill as I rolled it between my fingers, I c...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 51
<< Chapter 50| Index| Chapter 52>>I smiled, exhaling a mist of impurities as my latest experiment came to a close. It had been two weeks since I began working on my healing pill recipe and I’d advanced my alchemy skills in leaps and bounds.Refining the ingredients was as easy as waving my hand, with only the few low quality exceptions still producing impurities. The ten year ash bark took far more concentration than the rest of the ingredients, but even that was simply a matter of time and focus.After figuring out how to make the most of each...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 119
<< Chapter 118| Table of Contents| Chapter 120>>2.25 - The Power of ArtificeA weaker man can overcome the strongest foes by leaning on powerful equipment. For a large army, the greatest tool is not the best training regimen, but the most skilled blacksmith.-Excerpt from ‘The Power of Artifice’ by Xlat GoldbackThe five men sat on the sand, sticks strewn around them as they panted like dogs. Rose was breathing heavily, but still upright in the centre of the circle with her stick held flat in her palms.She gazed along its edge, observing the f...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 50
<< Chapter 49| Index| Chapter 51>>I stood beside Captain Kang, watching the impassive face of City Lord Teng Shi. To his side, Councillor Gao was containing his emotions far better than our previous encounters.However, he was not skilled enough to hide from my senses entirely. I felt the broiling rage beneath the surface.“Lord Teng! I assure you, there is a reasonable explanation for my actions,” Wang Bao begged on his knees.Captain Kang spat on the ground, slamming his boot against his former Vice Captain’s back. “Silence, black-bellie...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 49
<< Chapter 48| Index| Chapter 50>>The sun had already set by the time I returned to Three River City. Finding the ten year ash bark had taken far longer than I expected and the unfortunate incident with the man tailing me had left a sour aftertaste.Even when I pursued alchemy and healing I was unable to avoid the brutality of this world. I’d become mired in plots and schemes far beyond my grasp and despite my best efforts to avoid them, it seemed inevitable that I would need to dirty my hands or find myself caught unawares as a dagger slit my...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 118
<< Chapter 117| Table of Contents| Chapter 119>>2.24 - Out of the Fire, Into the FlameA good leader knows how to wield fear and respect in equal measure. If a people fears not their leader, why would they follow them into battle against fearsome foes? Yet fear alone is a worthless tool. Fear without respect leads to cowardice.-Excerpt from ‘Power and Influence: How to Run a Nation’ by Sea-Emperor Vadaris NeptunaRose yelled out commands as the ship cut through the raging sea. Waves as tall as the walls of Greengate rolled across the ocean an...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 48
<< Chapter 47| Index| Chapter 49>>At dinner that evening, Xiao Cui informed me that during my secluded alchemy sessions, a woman who smelled of flowers and honey and was frustratingly annoying had visited, seeking an audience with me. I deduced it was the younger Miss Yu, waving away both her and the village head’s teasing about a beautiful woman calling for me.I was curious as to the reason she had decided to visit my clinic. In the first place I wasn’t sure how she’d figured out this was where I lived, given that its current fame among ...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 47
<< Chapter 46| Index| Chapter 48>>Rather than being broken down and analysed like the other herbs I’d ingested, the ten year vital spikeroot began to dissolve into motes of brownish-green energy that swirled in my stomach.It had been a few hours since dinner, but the remnants of Xiao Cui’s herbal, spiced noodle soup were still present in my stomach. As the spikeroot was broken down into energy I noticed a similar process occurring with a few of the herbs.Not all of them reacted, but those that did were broken down into energy in a similar m...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 46
<< Chapter 45| Index| Chapter 47>>The next week went by in a blur. I secluded myself in one of the upper floors of the building so that I could carry out my experiments.For now that consisted of simply consuming the myriad pills, herbs, and other remedies I’d acquired during my shopping trip. The reason it took me so long simply to eat a bunch of pills was that I was forced to slow down and begin taking comprehensive notes around three days in.Similarities between the various healing remedies began to correlate and I wanted to ensure that I d...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 45
<< Chapter 44| Index| Chapter 46>>I found the shop as directed by Miss Yu. It was a simple wooden shop front without much in the way of decoration, missing even a sign. No wonder people struggled to find it.Walking inside, I heard a delicate bell ringing followed by shuffling footsteps from a back room. The shelves were old, but kept in pristine condition. A myriad of different potted herbs and living plants lined the shelves, producing a powerful aroma that soothed me the moment I took my first breath inside the room.An old lady came out from ...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 117
<< Chapter 116| Table of Contents| Chapter 118>>2.23 - Change of PlansIt is the mark of a great strategist to be able to adapt to changing circumstances, even if weeks of meticulously thought-out plans must be thrown to the wayside. Victory at all costs-Excerpt from ‘Ten Laws of the Sea’, author unknownRose, Daniel, and Jason stood on the wooden pier, staring at the ridiculous ship that floated at the end. The only sounds that could be heard were the crashing of the waves and the occasional screech of a seagull high above the beach.Everyn s...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 44
<< Chapter 43| Index| Chapter 45>>Looking above the door of the building that was supposed to be my clinic, I sighed. Someone—I assumed Xiao Cui—had affixed a sign that read ‘Madame Cui’s Mystic Spice Emporium’.I had barely given the girl any training and I was certain she knew nothing of healing, alchemy, or herbalism, so what in the eighteen hells was she up to? If she was scamming innocent people, I would see to it that she received a severe scolding.“Hey! There’s a queue, you can’t just walk in,” a lady shouted at me as I ...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 43
<< Chapter 42| Index| Chapter 44>>Crippling Huo Ze Qiang’s cultivation had been surprisingly simple. Figuring out the connection between the dantian and the spirit during my breakthrough to Qi Gathering was the foundation.Once I knew where to cut, the actual application of the technique was as easy as turning my hand. A few strands of my qi and decades of painstaking cultivation were gone.At the moment I’d crippled him I’d heard an unfamiliar voice crying out from above. Throwing my gaze to the skies as a shadow fell over me, I saw a man ...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 116
<< Chapter 115| Table of Contents| Chapter 117>>2.22 - Beating Sense into FoolsChoose your captain wisely,fora great captain can transform a shoddy crew into a thing of beauty, while a crappy captain can turn the sharpest crew into a bunch of useless fools-Excerpt from ‘Ten Laws of the Sea’, author unknownRose danced through the bandits like the shadow of death, the random stick she’d picked up delivering mighty blows that had the bandits dropping like flies all around her. With every strike, another of her enemies would fall unconscious....
Dao of Healing - Chapter 42
<< Chapter 41| Index| Chapter 43>>I’d lied. The true best way to relax and de-stress was a hot bath with a gorgeous woman by your side, but as I’d so painfully discovered, there were no baths out here—especially not the steaming hot variety.I would settle for a small dose of petty revenge followed by a long stint of healing the wounded. Personal satisfaction and improved cultivation would be a well deserved reward for my efforts.Leaving Xiao Cui alone with the village head was a hasty decision. I didn’t regret it, but I did need to chec...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 41
<< Chapter 40| Index| Chapter 42>>“In the end, trash is still trash, even if they obtain the favour of the heavens. Meeting your end by my sword is your fate, but fear not. Your blood shall feed my blade and I will carry your will as I ascend to immortality, as I do with every soul she reaps,” the man murmured, stroking the blade as my blood continued to stream down its edge.I saw true passion in his gaze, his previously dead eyes sparkling with life as he spoke about his sword. Creepy.Bad timing, too. Why was he telling me this now? I’d ...
Salt and Blood - Chapter 115
<< Chapter 114| Table of Contents| Chapter 116>>2.21 - An Unexpected ProposalInteresting times make for unlikely allies-Excerpt from ‘Solace of the Night’ by Astra the StarboundDaniel stared at her for a moment that dragged on into eternity. Eventually he broke the uncomfortable silence.“How did you know I wanted to be a shipwright?” he asked, rubbing his hands between his knees.Rose fixed him with the kind of stare that a predator reserves for when their prey can no longer escape. She’d reeled him in. Hook, line, and now it was time ...
Dao of Healing - Chapter 40
<< Chapter 39| Index| Chapter 41>>Right now I had plenty of techniques at my disposal to deal with the female sword cultivator and the five-star awakened bear beast. That wasn’t mentioning regular combat, which had been raised to a whole new level after my consecutive breakthroughs.I let out a chuckle, the bubbles rising slowly through the viscous spiritual water. I’d run to the Jagged Sword Mountains in search of inspiration to bring me to the Qi Gathering Realm and well… I’d certainly gone above and beyond.Though that was proving to b...
